The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Experienced in a Game

I've dealt with some difficult choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me pause the game for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that walking through it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to help him out. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs in its place and arrive at the peak in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the truth that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Attempting The Challenge could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall completely down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Choice

During my game, I selected the steps. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call